Review: Kingston & Co., Belconnen

Since I started working out in Belconnen I have been trying to find some good places to eat lunch but haven’t been finding much inspiration (where are the good burger and pizza places for lunch?) however, I decided to investigate Kingston & Co. as it was easy to get to and always smelt delicious when I had walked past previously. One day I decided to look them up online and see if their menu was any good. As it turns out they had Nutella French toast and something called a Frozen Bounty listed on the menu online so it seemed like it was meant to be.

Unfortunately, it looks like the version online (which is still up on their website) is an older version of the menu and they no longer had either of the items. So that was somewhat disappointing (will I ever know what Nutella French toast tastes like?).

Chocolate Thickshake ($7)

Instead I decided to start with their chocolate thickshake and hoped for the best. What came out was this incredibly thick, chocolatey goodness. It was in a MASSIVE metal cup and I almost needed a spoon to “drink” it. It was exactly as thick shakes should be. Alas, it was so thick and so large (that’s what she said) that I wasn’t able to finish it in my lunch break and had to leave about a third of it behind. I didn’t make the same mistake on my second trip though and ordered it in a takeaway cup instead. It still came out in a massive cup and so I was still able to enjoy it when sitting back at my desk at work.

As I wasn’t to be having Nutella French Toast on this day I decided to try their new French Toast offering. I was a bit hesitant as I wasn’t sure how popcorn would go with the toast and it is true that I scraped most of it to the side, it was just far too chewy which I guess is because of the salted toffee. I have to admit when I saw this 1 slice of toast come out I was pretty disappointed, I was paying $17 for it after all. As it turned out, it was so rich that I wasn’t even able to finish it so I guess it is perfect size and if you’re a bit faint-hearted you might want to share it with someone. Overall it was excellent, the butterscotch was so tasty and the walnuts added a nice little bit of crunch. I also found out that Mascarpone (it might be the first time I’ve had it in a dessert like this) was so much better than ricotta for dishes like this! Why did I waste all that time trying pancakes with ricotta? Mascarpone is where it’s at! Sweet, smooth and delicious! I would definitely recommend trying this but maybe share with a friend.

On my second trip I was looking for something a bit more savoury and decided to try one of their burgers. This is just their basic cheeseburger which I described to Jarrod as “McDonalds if it was decent”. It was quite bready but overall tasted pretty good. I especially loved the sweet mustard and pickles, yum! The fries were very moreish and although I was quite full I just kept eating more and more of them until I had finished them all. They were nice, fresh, hot and crispy!

The food has really proven to be quite decent at Kingston & Co. with everything tasting fresh and well made. The only downside is the seating system is a bit strange. They have table service but you go and pay at the counter which can be difficult as the tables have no numbers on them. I decided to sit at the same table the second time because I knew what number it was. I wonder though if this type of system could lead to some people leaving without paying.